Eugene Fischer

Category: Writing

“The New Mother” Now Online

Did you miss your chance to grab a copy of the April/May 2015 issue of Asimov’s? Well now you have another way to read my novella “The New Mother.” The full text is available online.

A reminder of some things people have said about it:

  • “I’m astounded by this story, by its elegant, thoughtful thoroughness” –Amal El-Mohtar, Tor.com
  • “[A] thoughtful look at a fundamental change in the nature of human reproduction” – Gardner Dozois, Locus
  • “This is a particularly effective story with a SFnal idea embedded right in its beating heart” –Bob Blough, Tangent Online

Give it a read, see what you think.

A Couple More Snippets About “The New Mother”

The next issue of Asimov’s is out now, so I don’t expect many more reviews of the April/May issue to appear. There were a couple of things that popped up right at the end of my issue’s shelf life, though.

At io9, K. Tempest Bradford named it one of the best stories of the week, writing that the story avoids preachiness while exploring what it means to be human.

At Black Gate magazine, a Gabe Dybing left a comment on the post about the issues to say of “The New Mother,”

It blew me away! It follows a scifi precept (was it Asimov’s?) that only one thing about the natural world shall be altered. In this case it was that women start spontaneously fertilizing their own eggs. Fischer’s exploration of these ramifications was amazing! I expect to see that on some awards lists.

Thanks for talking about my story, you two!

 

Me on the NerdCast with Andres Alvarez

Dre was kind enough to have me on the inaugural episode of his relaunched NerdCast podcast to discuss “The New Mother.” It was a long conversation that Dre has extensively annotated. Here’s the video:

Reviews for “The New Mother” Roll In

Reviews for my novella are starting to appear, so who’s ready for some aggregation?

I think the very first person whom I didn’t already know to talk about the story online was Joseph Tomaras, who quoted several lines on twitter and ended by saying:

Other Twitter commenters included Bill Tyrell:

and this from user @shigeruhiko, who responded to me directly:

An overwhelmingly positive reception was Amal El-Mohtar’s review for her column Rich and Strange, where she writes

I’m astounded by this story, by its elegant, thoughtful thoroughness: every character Tess encounters is fully formed, complex, no one of them limited to their narrative function. In a way reading this story is a master class in observing the manipulation of rhetoric: who, in this story, considers women with GDS to be human and who does not beautifully inflects their arguments to varying degrees—and seeing that rhetoric clash with arguments about fetus-personhood is completely fascinating.

But perhaps even more complimentary is the link from her personal site, where she says “I literally cannot think of a single way to improve this story.”

Jeanne Griggs, whom I met when we were seat neighbors at the ICFA banquet, later wrote about it at her site, saying “I never got the chance to embarrass myself in person with Eugene Fischer, although if I’d read his novella, The New Mother, I totally would have.”

Bob Blough, about whom I know nothing, had very nice things to say in his review at Tangent Online:

This is a particularly effective story with a SFnal idea embedded right in its beating heart. Each character is excellently rendered – some in but a few strokes – but all seem real and alive. I was – and still am – impressed.

Finally, I got a brief write up at sfrevu.com by Sam Tomaino–another stranger to me–which concludes that my novella is an “Interesting idea with possible implications well-handled.”

Thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to read and talk about “The New Mother.” I really appreciate it.

Poster from Joe Duncan

To support our upcoming reading at Malvern Books, Janalyn’s friend Joe Duncan has made us this eye-catching poster. For more of Joe’s illustration work, check out his website. And if you’re in the Austin area, check out the reading this coming Saturday. It is guaranteed to put happy faces on all of your cells.

Janposter

Start Reading “The New Mother” Online

as_logo_blThe fine people at Asimov’s have just posted a long, free excerpt of my novella on their site. And when I say long, I mean 8,500 words long. Long enough to meet pensive Tess Mendoza and her confident partner Judy. Long enough to learn about the strange new infectious condition moving through the population. Long enough to hear from scientists and administrators and religious fanatics. Plenty long enough to know if you like the story. So if you’re the clever sort who wants to try before you buy, I encourage you to click through and check out my work. If you enjoy it, be sure to note the “e-Asimov’s” link at the bottom for all the download options a person could want.

“The New Mother” – Now Available

Asimov's Science Fiction – April-May 2015––UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE: You can read the whole thing online here.––

It’s finally here! The April/May double issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction with my cover story “The New Mother” is now available to be read and enjoyed. Subscribers to the magazine probably have it already. There’s a long, free excerpt online at the Asimov’s site. If you like what you see, you can buy an ebook edition for only about three bucks!

Magzter – Probably the easiest way to get a digital copy. Buy it here and you can read it in your browser, or on an iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows 8+, or Kindle device. Making a Magzter account is totally free, you only pay to buy individual magazines–and way less than you would for a paper copy.

Android – Here’s the Google Play Store listing for the specific issue, which should work on most phones or tablets running Android.

Individual issues on other platforms are harder to link to directly. Here are links to the Asimov’s subscription sites for specific devices. You may be able to find the April/May 2015 issue (with the cover shown above) through these.

Kindle – Here’s the Amazon listing, which will let you read Asimov’s on any Kindle e-reader, or in the Kindle app on your phone or tablet.

iPhone or iPad – The iTunes store listing for Asimov’s. In iOS, you’ll get it via the Newsstand app. You can buy the individual back issue, or subscribe to the magazine. (You’ll be asked to sign up for a Magzter account. It’s fast and free. You’re basically doing the same thing as the first link, just through the Newsstand app instead of the Magzter app.)

Nook – The Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader listing. Coincidentally, Barnes and Noble is also an excellent place to get a paper copy of Asimov’s.

Kobo – Have a Kobo e-reader? Let me know if this link works. You are supposed to be able to buy individual issues here, but some of the info is contradictory. (I don’t have a Kobo, so I can’t test it myself.)

If you have any problems, tell me, and I’ll try to help you fix it or pass your information along to the folks in charge. And if you read the story and like it, do please let other people know.

Asimov’s Cover Revealed

Asimov's Science Fiction – April-May 2015Contributor copies are landing in mailboxes and posters are going up for bookstores, so seems about time to show off the next Asimov’s cover. Behold its gorgeousness! This is the work of Gary Freeman (Flash site), who’s done many covers for the magazine over the years. I think this one is perfect; striking, creepy, and clearly informed by the text. I’m finding it unspeakably thrilling to have tossed words on paper out into the world and seen stunning art ripple back. (Is this is how my comics-writing friends feel all the time? I bet it is.) Five women, all different ages but with the same face. I’d go in to all the details that make this a wonderful illustration of my novella, but I don’t think I could do so without spoiling the story. So for now let it serve here the same beguiling purpose it will on shelves and newsstands. The issue goes on sale March 17.

UPDATE: It’s out now! Get it here!

Asimov’s Has It Covered

It’s not out yet, but it will be soon. My novella “The New Mother” will be in the very next issue of Asimov’s, which means details have started to drop. If you take a look at their Next Issue feature, you’ll notice it leads off with this:

Eugene Fischer’s cover story chronicles a pregnant reporter’s investigation of a mysterious illness that has the potential to cause massive society upheaval and which will certainly engender repercussions for “The New Mother.”

Ha! “Engender” indeed. This’ll be my first time being on the cover of, well, anything.

“Adrift” Now Online

Asimov's Science Fiction (April-May 2010)Eons ago in 2010 I had my first publication in Asimov’s, a near future SF short story about oceanic technology and global politics titled “Adrift.” I wrote the first draft as part of my Clarion application, and revised it through a haze of pain and drugs during the ten post-Clarion months I was bedridden with Crohn’s disease. I sent it out, got rejected, sent it out again, just going through the motions, the vast majority of my attention consumed by the slow struggle back towards health and the contemporaneous crumble of my long term relationship. September of 2009 found me living alone in an apartment, in a body warped beyond recognition by a long course of prednisone, wondering where the last year had gone. So when I heard from Sheila Williams that she wanted to buy this story for Asimov’s, the good news struck me as a sparkle from very far away. It was like being gifted a fragment from the life I’d thought I’d have, the one where I left Clarion with artistic momentum, wrote more stories, applied to graduate school, began to focus on having a writing career.

Now, half a decade later, I feel I’ve finally arrived at where I thought I’d be in 2009. I’m healthy, I’m writing, I have the momentum of an inspiring fiction program behind me. And in April I’ll have a new story in Asimov’s, my novella “The New Mother.” But being here inspired me to look back at where I was, to reread “Adrift.” To my eyes now–eyes that have been trained by years of graduate workshops and teaching fiction students–it is apparent how the circumstances of its creation influenced the writing. I see, in its mannered sentences, a young man struggling through pain and fear to focus on the version of himself that he hopes, in his best moments, he may still get the chance to be. I see the first examples of some themes and concerns that would recur in my writing through grad school. I see things that make me cringe, and things that make me proud of my own strength. I see the intersection of so many circumstances still echoing in my psyche that, to me, reading this story is like traveling through time. And now, five years after it was originally published, I’m offering it again to you.

Read “Adrift” online here.

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